


Distorted World

by kaiju-and-kyojin (thefourarmedtitan)



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Crossover, F/F, F/M, Pokemon AU, Shinoh-chihou | Sinnoh, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-28
Updated: 2017-07-09
Packaged: 2018-06-05 22:52:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6726628
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thefourarmedtitan/pseuds/kaiju-and-kyojin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A fourth generation (Diamond/Pearl/Platinum) Pokémon AU with the characters of Shingeki no Kyojin.<br/>Ymir meets a girl named Krista Lenz after being arrested on the Reiss estate.<br/>Eren Yeager encounters a Pokémon Poacher on the day when he was supposed to begin his journey across Sinnoh.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Ymir vs. Staravia

**Author's Note:**

  * For [2lulah](https://archiveofourown.org/users/2lulah/gifts).



A trio of Budew bounced across a dusty path beside a quiet stream. Warm, summer sunlight trickled through the branches above and gave each Grass-type Pokémon momentary yellow stripes. The Budew stopped and glanced around when they heard a faint sound approaching from afar. The smallest one’s gaze went up the path, and it squeaked in surprise. Its companions looked the same way, let out similar squeaks, and the trio bounced off the path and skidded down the stream’s bank.

The rumbling grew louder, and a cacophony of bird cries accompanied it. One by one, the Budew scrambled up the bank and peeked over the edge. First, a round, blue ball sprinted past with its toothy maw open and clattering loudly. A lanky, teenaged girl named Ymir ran beside it with her arms and legs pumping madly. Their passage nearly caused the Budew to fall back from their perches. Seconds later, a pair of Staravia flew past and their strong wing-beats blew all three Budew into the stream below.

Neither party stopped when the Budew tumbled away as each were more concerned with the ensuing chase. Ymir threw a glance over her shoulder at the pursuing Staravia, then turned her frantic eyes to her partner, Gible. “Did you have to steal those eggs?!” The Dragon-type Pokémon looked up at her, with the two Staravia eggs shaking around in its wide mouth as it ran beside its trainer. “Dammit, Gible!” Increasing the length of her strides, Ymir passed her Dragon-type partner. She then pushed off her leading leg and leapt into the air. At the apex of her leap, she grabbed a low-hanging branch and ripped it from its tree. Ymir landed on her toes and swung the branch low over Gible’s head as it raced past with the eggs clicking together in its mouth. The Staravia were close behind, and the larger one found itself directly in the path of the branch. With angry squawks, it crashed onto the dirt path, but its smaller partner rushed forward and tackled Ymir in the side. 

Ymir fell onto the ground, and the Staravia that knocked her down rose a foot into the air and clicked its beak triumphantly. The other Staravia was slowly standing and stretching its wings. Eying the positions of the two bird Pokémon, Ymir grinned. “Now, Gible!” Not so far down the path, Gible had laid the eggs down beside it and was now facing the airborne Staravia. “Dragon Rage!” Staravia shrieked at Gible, whose mouth began to glow faintly. While it was distracted, Ymir rolled to the side and allowed Gible a clean shot. From Gible’s mouth leapt a glowing ball of light, which struck Staravia in the chest and knocked it into its partner. Picking herself up, Ymir ran to Gible and snatched up the eggs in her hands. “Nice shot, baby girl.” Gible chirped happily and followed its trainer down the path.

The duo continued running for a while, then ducked into a cluster of bushes. After passing through the bush closest to the road, Ymir and Gible found themselves in a small clearing. Once they were sure that the Staravia were not nearby, the pair sat down and Ymir immediately noticed an uncomfortably warm dampness on her side. “Aw shit,” Ymir muttered, worried that the Staravia had cut her when it tackled her. Setting down the eggs between Gible and herself, she pulled the side of her jacket forward and inspected the fabric. There was no tear, so she was not cut, but the stain on her shirt was too low for it to be the usual armpit sweat. Suddenly, Gible chirped and hopped to its feet. Worried that the Staravia had found them, Ymir rose onto her knee and scanned the treetops around them. A sharp crack by her foot redirected her attention back down, “Aw, shit…” The stain on her shirt had come from liquid seeping from one of the eggs; the baby inside had begun to hatch while she was running and was now completing the process. The other egg was beginning to crack as well. Gible, curious about the noises coming from the eggs, leaned forward and sniffed the egg which had begun hatching first. Without warning, a large section of the egg’s shell burst off and a splattering of liquid flew onto Gible’s snout.

Chirping angrily, Gible fell onto its rear and tried to paw the offensive fluid off of its nose, but its arms were too short to reach. Ymir watched, disgusted but interested, as a Starly emerged from the first egg and began crying. Moments later, the second Starly hatched and began crying with its sibling.

While Gible rubbed its nose against the ground, Ymir watched the two Starly. One was larger, had stopped crying and was instead stretching its wings, but its smaller sibling was shivering slightly and continuing to cry. Gible paused and tilted its head at the two bird Pokémon, then looked at Ymir and whined. “Don’t look at me like that,” Ymir grumbled, then removed her brown jacket and draped it over the two Starly. “Is this better, you big baby?” With a huff, Gible sat back at watched as the two Starly began to sleep under Ymir’s coat. Ymir remained standing, and eventually looked away from the newborns and up at the sky. In the distance, she could make out two small specks. Raising her hand to block the sun, Ymir squinted at them, and they gradually became clearer as they flew closer.

“Fuck!” Ymir’s shout startled Gible and awakened the two Starly, which threw off the jacket and began squawking fearfully. “Gible, Dragon Rage!” Gible opened its mouth and began to emit light, which was then expelled at the rapidly approaching Staravia. The two, now more visible, bird Pokémon tumbled out of the way and the Dragon Rage burst harmlessly behind them. Ymir grit her teeth and was about to dive into the bushes, but the Starly huddled around her feet and she could not move away without kicking them. “What now?! Move!” 

Ymir’s yelling only made the newborn Pokémon more scared, and they huddled closer to her legs. Without being ordered, Gible shot a stream of Dragon Rages at the Staravia, but they avoided each attempt, and Gible tired quickly. “Dammit…” Ymir muttered, preparing to force her way through the Starly. When the Staravia were only feet above the treeline, a harsh screech cut through the air. 

As if they had been stung, both Staravia halted in mid-air and looked around. The Starly became still, which unnerved Ymir more than their shivering. Another cry forced the Staravia higher into the sky, but called to the Starly as they retreated. Ymir recognized the cry this time, and the reason for the change in Staravias’ behavior clicked. For a few moments, the two bird Pokémon remained just a few feet above the treeline until a third screech sounded. Then a fourth, then a fifth, until three separate screeches of the same pitch and volume filled the treetops. The Staravia retreated after circling the clearing once more, and Ymir watched as they became specks in the distance again.

“Lucky there was a Staraptor around,” Ymir mused to herself. The two Starly relaxed again, and nuzzled against her shins. Despite the frown she wore, Ymir knelt down and gently stroked both of their heads, “You’re just lucky that I didn’t kick you up to your parents.” A sharp bark from Gible drew her attention, While she had been petting the Starly, Gible had lowered its head in an attack stance and was staring at three Murkrow from under its brow. 

Confused, Ymir stood up straight and observed the three Murkrow, which were all looking at her intently. In unison, they released screeches which were identical to a Staraptor’s cry. Once again, the Starly began crying in fear and huddled close to Ymir. The timing of their appearance and the specificity of their cry made Ymir nervous; “Gible, we’re leaving.” Without thinking, Ymir scooped up the Starly in her arms before she turned away from the Murkrow. Gible growled at them once more, then ran and picked up Ymir’s jacket. As Gible retrieved the jacket, three adults, two men and one woman, stepped into the clearing. Each person wore the same outfit; dark blue jeans and light blue jackets with yellow, G-shaped logos on their right breast pockets.  
The woman, who seemed to be leading the group, spoke; “Those Starly are the property of the Reiss estate, return them immediately.”

“Huh?” Ymir looked at the Starly, which were drawing their faces away from the newcomers. Their reaction piqued Ymir’s interest. “Who’s Reiss?”

“The owner of this estate, and those Starly.” She whistled, and each Murkrow flew to one of the adults’ shoulders. “Hand them over.”

Ymir grinned and decided to have some fun. “I dunno, there have been lots of poachers around Sinnoh recently. How do I know you all aren’t with them? This Reiss could just be a cover name.”

Ymir’s final comment caught the woman’s attention, “Enough.” She reached inside of her uniform and drew out a darkly colored rock only slightly bigger than her hand. Her companions did the same, “We’ll be taking those Starly now.” In synch, the three adults threw the stones into the air and their Murkrow flew upwards and grabbed the stones with their beaks. Each of the Dark-type birds began to glow and increase in size as they continued their ascent. When the light faded, the stones were gone and the three Murkrow had become three Honchkrow, which hovered loyally over their trainers.

Gible began to growl, and its eyes shifted nervously between the three, larger Pokémon and Ymir took a step backwards. “Oh, we’ll need that Gible too.” The woman said coolly, “You stole that from this estate too. It’s a rare species, so we’ll need it back right away.”

“Like hell!” Ymir snapped, “Gible use –”

“Sucker Punch.”

Before Ymir could finish her command, the woman’s Honchkrow dove forward and struck Gible under the chin with its wing. Gible flew back into Ymir, and the two Starly fell from Ymir’s hands. They were snatched in mid-air by the other two Honchkrow, and were carried back, struggling and crying, to the two men behind the woman. There they remained in the Honchkrow’s talons while the Dark-type bird resumed their earlier positions above their trainers.  
Ymir sat up on her elbows and looked at her Gible, which was unconscious on her chest. “Thank you for your cooperation.” The woman said, lifting an Ultra Ball and pressing the central button. A stream of light lanced into Gible, but stopped when the bottom of the ball began flashing red. Gile remained on top of Ymir, much to the woman’s disdain, “So you caught it already, huh?”   
Holding Gible close, Ymir sat up and spat onto the ground beside her. “I’ve had Gible since I was a kid, you won’t be taking her from me.” For finality, Ymir rummaged through her pocket and removed a standard, red-and-white PokéBall. When she pressed the central button, the light struck Gible and caused the Dragon-type Pokémon to glow for a moment before it was drawn back into the ball with the light.

“We’ll see about that.” The bushes behind Ymir rustled, and she jumped to her feet and backed into the center of the clearing as three more people, who were wearing the same uniform as the first three, arrived. Each newcomer held an Ultra Ball. “We’ll be taking you back to the Reiss house for questioning.”

“Sure, why not?” Ymir muttered, looking over her shoulder at the people now aligned behind her. She did not protest as that group walked forward and pressured her to walk in front of them. The first three who showed up spearheaded the group as they walked through the bushes onto the path from which Ymir had previously fled. Their Honchkrow flew overhead, and two still clutched the terrified Starly in their talons.

After returning to the main road, Ymir was led by her captors in the same direction that she had fled the Staravia. She held Gible’s PokéBall in her left hand, and rubbed her thumb around the button as she debated what to do next. Her eyes shifted from person to person. There were eight people in total, five men and three women. Plus the Honchkrow, which remained above the first three people that she met. The woman who had spoken to her remained in the front of the group, so Ymir guessed that she was the leader.

They walked for nearly an hour before reaching a fork in the road. A sign pointed down the left path and read **“To Jubilife City”**

Another pointed right, towards a weathered bridge that led across the stream: **“To Reiss Mansion.”**

Ymir’s group went right, over the bridge and deeper into the woods. As they turned, Ymir looked down the other path. She could see the light where the forest ended, and estimated the distance to be about thirty meters. ‘The Honchkrow would get me before I even made it halfway…’ Ymir thought, and resigned herself to be led deeper into the forest.

Only thirty minutes had passed by the time the group reached the other side of the forest. The sun had begun to set behind the distant Coronet Mountain Range and the clouded sky became painted with streaks of bright orange. The path continued beyond the trees and up a hill to the impressive Reiss mansion. Ymir took in her surroundings as she was brought up the path. There were no trees on the hill, which made any prospects for escape unlikely, although her attention was caught by a small chapel to the south of the mansion. “Are you all religious?”

“Something like that.” The woman replied curtly, keeping her eyes on the road ahead.  
Ymir snorted, “I know what that’s like, what a drag.”

 

“Be quiet!” One of the men behind Ymir spoke up, but he became silent again when the lightly bearded man on his left elbowed him. His sudden outburst interested Ymir, but the glares of those two men dissuaded her from further questioning. The final leg of their hike was silent.

Several feet from the door of the mansion, the first two men split from the group and their Honchkrow followed them with the Starly twins still in their grasp. Ymir watched them head in the direction of the chapel. One of the women behind Ymir walked to a keypad beside the door and listened to the tones of the buttons that she pressed. A heavy click came from the door, and the man who yelled at Ymir stepped forward and opened the door. Ymir was then led by the other four adults into the mansion, and they were followed in by the man who had opened the door. With a dull thud, the door closed and locked with a second click. The mansion had a large foyer, with two hallways on its right and left sides and a pair of short staircases across from the main entrance which led to an overlook and an ornately carved double-door. ‘That looks important…’ “So,” Ymir’s voice carried far in the quiet house, “when do I get to meet the man himself? Or is Reiss a woman? That’d be more fun.”

“He will see you this evening, and decide what happens to you.” The leader stressed the ‘he’ in her response. “And the Gible, of course.”

Ymir brought Gible’s PokéBall to her chest, “Gible has been my partner for years, any P.C. check will confirm that.”

“We’ll be the judges of that. Take her to one of the guest rooms, Duran.” 

The man with a sparse beard nodded, “Yes, Lieutenant Carven.” Duran stepped closer to Ymir and grabbed her bicep, but Ymir quickly shrugged him off. She placed Gible’s PokéBall in her pocket and turned her eyes to the woman called Carven.

“Third door on the right side of the left hallway, Duran will escort you.” Ymir nodded and headed to the left hallway. Duran hurried behind her, then kept pace beside her as she walked into the hallway. The rest of Ymir’s captors remained by the front door and watched as Duran led Ymir to her quarters. 

Upon arriving at the door indicated by Carven, Duran stepped around Ymir and opened it for her. Ymir grinned and gave him a condescending bow, “You’re quite the gentleman, Mr. Duran.”  
“Just so I can lock the door.” Duran replied, and earned a chuckle from Ymir, who flicked on the lights for the room as she entered. Hardly a moment passed before the door slammed shut and locked behind Ymir.

“And they say chivalry is dead…” Ymir joked to herself, then turned and took stock of the room, which was more of a large closet with a bed and a nightstand. A small window above the nightstand drew her attention. However, she found that it was painted shut upon closer inspection. “Now that’s just rude.” With a huff, Ymir flopped across the bed and removed Gible’s PokéBall from her pocket. She regarded the red and white orb for a moment while rotating it in her hand before pointing it to a spot on the bed beside her and pressing the central button.

A flash of light shot forth and gathered on the bed before glittering away and revealing Ymir’s tired and sore Gible. Gible groaned sadly and nuzzled against Ymir’s side. “I know, big girl, it’ll be alright.” Ymir murmured, turning towards Gible and curling her body around her partner. Gible huffed against her stomach before closing its eyes and quickly falling asleep. Ymir sighed and stroked Gible’s rough dorsal spine. The duo remained in silent comfort for what felt like hours, although the sun hardly fell any further behind the Coronet mountains.

The door opening jolted Ymir’s head up, but Gible merely shifted on the bed. A short, blonde girl about Ymir’s age entered with a Full Restore in her right hand.

“Who’re you supposed to be?” Ymir asked, pulling Gible closer to her.

The girl shifted her weight between her feet and looked down, “My name is… Krista Lenz. I brought these for you and your Pokémon,” Krista held out her Full Restore.

“Uh huh…” Ymir looked the girl up and down. She was cute, but Ymir had no reason to trust her. “Come on over, we don’t bite.” Krista smiled and walked around the foot of the bed so that she faced Ymir directly. She knelt beside the bed, and began lightly spritzing Gible with the Full Restore. When the item had no effect, Ymir looked at Krista dubiously.

Krista blushed shyly and set the Full Restore down beside Gible and rummaged through her light blue handbag for a moment, then pulled out a yellow Revive and pressed it against Gible’s side. The item lost its color in a few moments and Gible stirred against Ymir’s side. After setting the used Revive to the side, Krista picked up the Full Restore again and began re-applying the medicine to Gible’s skin. 

Gible’s eyes opened and it looked up at Ymir, chirped, and then stood on the bed. Krista leaned back and watched as Ymir scratched Gible under its chin. When she turned to look at Krista, Gible shifted its gaze too. “You wanna pet her?”

Krista shook her head, “No, thank you. I’m just glad that she’s alright.” Gible chirped at her and cocked its head curiously, but Krista just smiled back at it.

Ymir smiled queerly, “You sure are a kind one, Krista Lenz.” 

“Thank you!” Krista said happily. “What’s your name?”

“Ymir, just Ymir. And this here’s my Gible.” Gible puffed through its nose. Ymir nodded at Krista, “What do you do here, Krista? Besides charity work, I mean.”

“I help around the house, and with the Pokémon that live on the estate.”

“So you must have your own Pokémon, right?” Ymir leaned back and crossed her right leg over her left, “What’ve you got?”

“Well…” Krista glanced at the door and then reached into her bag and removed a fully white Premier Ball “my sister helped me catch this one!” Before she could open the ball, Captain Carven appeared at the door. Krista turned away and stuffed the Premier Ball back into her bag.  
“My lady,” Carven addressed Krista politely, but there was an underlying venom in her tone, “what are you doing with this girl?”

“W-well…” Krista started, looking over her shoulder, “Her Gible got hurt, so I –”

“You shouldn’t leave the door open.” Lieutenant Carven interrupted, “She could escape, and that Gible isn’t hers,” Ymir glared at Carven as she continued, “she stole it from the estate.” Upon hearing Carven’s accusation, Krista stared at Ymir with wide eyes. Ymir avoided her gaze, choosing to continue looking at her accuser instead. “We caught her trying to steal two Starly, as well.” Carven took a moment to look from Krista to Ymir, then continued; “I’ll leave you to finish here, my lady. Please call if you have any trouble, and lock the door on your way out.” With that, Carven turned and walked out of the room. She closed the door behind her, but Ymir did not hear it lock.

Ymir and Krista sat in silence, and Ymir continued looking at the door and avoiding Krista’s gaze. “You’re… A thief?”

“No, I –” Ymir stopped and considered what she should say next. After a moment’s thought, she sighed and continued; “Gible has been my partner for over a year now. We’ve been travelling around Sinnoh for a few months. We just so happened to pass through this estate while we were looking for something to eat, and this one,” Ymir tapped Gible on the nose, “decided that it wanted some Staravia eggs.” Gible halfheartedly nipped at Ymir’s finger, then settled back down on its stomach. “We needed some food for survival, not that you’d understand.” With a sigh, Ymir leaned back and pointed at Krista, “I’ve got some questions for you now, blondie.”

“For me?”

“Yeah,” Ymir leaned forward again and locked eyes with Krista, “why did Captain Bitchface call you ‘my lady?’ Your name isn’t Reiss, so why are you getting the royal treatment here?”

Krista shifted in place and looked down, “W-well, she was just being polite –”

“Bullshit,” Ymir interrupted, “that one doesn’t seem like the type to be polite to anyone unless she has to. She certainly didn’t do me any favors.” An idea arose in Ymir’s mind, and she smiled slyly, “Krista isn’t your real name, is it?” Krista did not reply, so Ymir pressed on; “Let me guess, illegitimate child?”

Ymir’s questions left Krista at a loss for words. When she did answer, her voice was shaky and quiet. “My real name… Is Historia. Historia Reiss. My mother worked for this estate’s owner, Rod Reiss, and got pregnant through him. She gave me that name when I was born, but she left when I was little and my father renamed me Krista Lenz.” Historia took a deep breath; “I’ve been working here and going by the name Krista ever since. I don’t have anywhere else to go, and it’s nice here. Father lets me stay, even though I’m not his wife’s daughter and he has other kids with her.”

The outpouring of information stunned Ymir, and she took a few moments to process what Historia told her. Once she was finished thinking, her brow furrowed and her voice became quiet. “And you’re alright with that? Being kept in this place even though your father doesn’t even acknowledge that you’re his daughter?”

“It’s not like that!” Historia’s voice rose, “He talks to me, and I help him with the Pokémon who live on the grounds!”

“He made you give up your real name, Historia!” Ymir slid off the bed onto her knee, which startled Gible into jumping down beside her. “Don’t you have anything you want to do besides waste your life doing nothing in this damn house?”

Historia’s eyes widened, and she nodded slowly. “I want… To be a trainer, like my sister. She always comes home and tells me about the places she sees around Sinnoh, and I want to see it all for myself.” Gible chirped and walked to Historia, then laid its head on her lap. Historia hesitated for a moment, then looked at Ymir, who waved her hand and leaned back against the bed. Tentatively, Historia rested her hand on the top of Gible’s head and stroked down to its dorsal fin. Gible shivered slightly, then rubbed the side of its head against Historia’s stomach to demand more pets. “I’ve never seen any Gible on the estate,” She explained, “so it felt strange when Traute said that you stole it.” When Historia returned her gaze to Ymir, her eyes were serious. “You’re going to be arrested if you stay here; my father will make sure of it.”

“What makes you so sure? You just said that there aren’t any Gible in the area. Couldn’t you tell that to the cops?”

Historia shook her head solemnly, “No, Father wouldn’t allow that. You’re not the first person who’s been caught here and arrested.”

Ymir clicked her tongue and glared at the unlocked door. “I’ve gotta get out of here…”

“I can help you,” Historia offered, “if you take me with you.” The proposition surprised Ymir, but Historia saw this and clarified; “I can’t walk out by myself, Traute and her team would stop me. But I can’t stay here either, not after what you said to me.”

The look in her eyes told Ymir that Historia was coming whether she agreed or not, and she liked the confidence that she saw sprouting in her. “Alright, that sounds interesting.” Ymir ran the tips of her fingers across Gible’s side and drew her partner’s attention. After she exchanged a brief look with her Pokémon, Ymir returned her gaze to Historia. “We’d better leave now, though. Traute said that your father would be back tonight.” Historia nodded, and both rose from the floor but were distracted by a light tap on the window. 

Another raindrop smacked onto the glass, and the clouds soon opened and began drenching the Reiss estate. Ymir and Historia regarded the change in weather, then returned their eyes to each other. Without breaking eye contact, Ymir raised her PokéBall. “Gible, return.” Once Gible was away and its Ball was tucked in the pocket of Ymir’s dirtied jacket she walked to the door with Historia close behind.


	2. Ymir/Historia v. Traute

Historia eased the bedroom door open, and the well-cleaned hinges did not make a sound. She peeked through the crack in order to ensure that no guards were passing, then motioned for Ymir to come closer. “We good to go or what?” Ymir placed her hand on the wall and leaned over Historia, but she was not able to see the hallway.

“Yeah, but we need to stop by my room first.” Historia opened the door fully and stepped into the hallway. 

Ymir followed her, but she hesitated when Historia turned in the opposite direction of the main door. “Your room? We don’t really have time to grab a change of clothes, blondie.” Despite her snark, Ymir continued following Historia deeper into the mansion. ‘This had better not be a trap…’ She fiddled with Gible’s PokéBall in her pocket as they walked.

After a few minutes and two dodged guards, they reached an old, wooden door. It contrasted with the wall, which appeared freshly painted, and the other doors in the house, which all sported gilded ornamentation. Historia removed a key from her pocket and unlocked the door. It creaked open and revealed a small ladder, dimly illuminated by a light above it. “What’s this?”

Historia threw Ymir a glance from over her shoulder. “My room, c’mon.” After looking down the hallway again, Historia entered the dark closet and began expertly scaling the ladder. “Close the door behind you!” She called from overhead.

“To hell with it,” Ymir muttered, and entered the room. After she was inside, she peeked out of the door and ensured that nobody had seen them enter. Then she closed the door and looked upwards.

Historia had neared the top of the ladder, which was only about twelve feet high, but she was blocking most of the light. Ymir could see the rungs closest to her, but the ones at her level were mostly hidden and some appeared unstable. “You alright?” Historia peered from a landing at the top of the ladder, and her hair shone in the dim yellow light.

“Yeah, one sec.” ‘God I really hope this isn’t some kind of trap…’ Hesitantly, Ymir gripped a rung above her head. She tugged it slightly and grabbed the next one once she had ensured its stability. She climbed up towards Historia, looking down only when she could not find a foothold.

Near the top of the ladder, the rung that Ymir had placed her right foot on snapped in half and her left hand lost its grip. Ymir staggered and kicked her right leg in search of a new hold. This only unbalanced her further, so she pushed from her left foot, breaking another rung in the process, and grabbed onto the floor by the top of the ladder with her right hand. Historia pulled back and grabbed her forearm while Ymir struggled to bring her left hand up. When she did, HIstoria helped pull her up into a small, attic-like room lit faintly by old lamps and a small, circular window by a squat wardrobe on the opposite side.

“Ymir… Are you okay?” Historia was a little winded from the sudden excitement, and was leaned back on her palms while Ymir rested on her hands and knees by the ladder hole.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Ymir huffed, rising to her knees and dusting off her shirt, “Thanks for the assist, His.” 

“‘His?’”

“Yeah, His. It’s easier to say than Historia, don’t you think?”

“I guess it is…” Historia mused. She then got to her feet at turned towards the far end of the room, “Let me get what I need, then we’ll go.” 

Ymir hummed acknowledgement and sat up straight. Her eyes flicked to every corner of the room, checking that there was no one who had waited for the chance to spring a trap on her. From where she sat, Ymir saw no potential dangers. With a sigh of relief, she stood and accidentally whacked her head on the low ceiling. “Fucking hell!” She yelled as she staggered away from the ladder hole and found a place on the wall to rest against.

Ymir’s sudden shout startled Historia and nearly made her drop her last item. “What happened?!” Historia whipped around and shoved the item into her light brown satchel.

“I hit my head…” Ymir grumbled, “How do you live in here?”

Historia marched to Ymir and pulled a flashlight from her bag, “I’ve never had a problem, hold still.” Without warning, she shined the light directly into Ymir’s face.

“Hey, watch it!” Ymir shut her eyes and tried to shove away the flashlight but Historia batted her hand away and stepped closer to her. Her toes were nearly on top of Ymir’s and Ymir leaned fully back against the wall.

“Hold still!” Historia repeated. Before Ymir could protest further, Historia grabbed the bottom of her face and pulled Ymir forward. Using the flashlight, she inspected the top Ymir’s head. “You have a bump, but you should be fine.”

Despite the pain from her injury, Ymir shook her head and freed her chin from Historia’s grip, “What’s your problem?”

“Nothing, here.” Historia removed a roll of bandages from her bag and unwound a short length, “let me put this on you.” Ymir narrowed her eyes but she bent forward anyway and let Historia treat her.

After Historia had wound the bandage twice, Ymir smiled strangely with realization. “No one’s ever seen how you live before, have they?” Historia’s hand stuttered, “No one’s ever bothered to look into the life of poor Historia Reiss, right?”

“That’s none of your business,” Historia snapped before ripping the bandage in two and smoothing it around Ymir’s head.

Ymir fell silent but she continued to study Historia’s expression. “If we’re going to be working together, I need to know who you are and what you’re about. Otherwise, I have no reason to bring you with me or trust you.”

“There’s nothing to tell…” 

“Speak up, dammit!” Ymir stomped forward and pressured Historia back, “Have you or have you not tried to escape from your shit situation?!” 

“I’ve never had the chance!” Historia stepped to Ymir and grabbed the side of her shirt. “There’s never been a good time… My father’s reputation would be in trouble if word got out that he had an illegitimate daughter.”

“So what?” Batting away Historia’s hand, Ymir recollected her composure. “You’re content to live in a dirty old attic for your whole life? For the sake of a man who’s so ashamed of your existence that he won’t even acknowledge you? What kind of a life is that?!”

Ymir’s onslaught of questions made Historia increasingly frustrated. “What does it matter to you, anyway?! You won’t get out of here without my help anyway, so don’t you try to threaten me.”

“I want to know why you allow yourself to be put down like this! Why are you sacrificing your happiness for the sake of people who would prefer if you didn’t exist?!” 

“I don’t know!” Historia’s shout filled the small attic and shocked Ymir into silence. For a moment, the two girls stood in front of each other without saying anything further. The only sound in the room was from the raindrops thrumming against the window. “I… I don’t know.” Historia repeated, more to herself this time. After a few seconds, she began to laugh. It was a hollow, shaking laughter that brought tears to her eyes and an unnatural smile to her face. “I’ve lived her for sixteen years, and I’ve never asked myself such a simple fucking question!” Ymir stepped back against the wall, eyeing Historia cautiously. 

After about two minutes, Historia’s laughter subsided. She rubbed the residual tears from her eyes, “Thank you, Ymir.”

“For what?”

“Making me think about what I’m really doing with my life.” Historia explained, “I’d never thought about it before now.” She took a moment to rub her nose with the back of her hand, “So, thanks.”

“You’re welcome…?” Ymir was confused by the flurry of emotions that Historia expressed within the span of five minutes. With a sigh, Ymir rubbed the back of her neck, “Sorry for yelling at you like that, I got a little carried away.”

“It’s alright, I think that’s what I needed. I doubt that I’d ever have questioned myself without your nagging.”

Now it was Ymir who laughed, albeit sarcastically. “‘Nagging?’ I’m not a grandma, His. I don’t nag, I just tell it like it is.”

“Sure felt like nagging to me.” Historia sang with a newfound smile on her face. Ymir grimaced in response, and the two girls stared at each other with contrasting expressions until both of them bursted with laughter. In Historia’s dimly lit attic, they laughed together freely. Once they started to recollect themselves, Historia readjusted her bag, “We should probably get going.”

“Yeah, good idea.” Ymir rifled through her pocket and ensured that Gible’s PokéBall was still secure in her pocket. Her eyes flicked to the window, and she grinned when she saw a flash of lightning in the distance. “Looks like the rain’s picked up, which means it’ll be gross out there in the woods.”

Historia quirked a brow, “And that’s supposed to be a good thing?” 

“If it’s nasty out, we’re less likely to be followed. Plus, your guards’ Pokémon will have a hard time tracking us in the rain.” She followed Historia to the ladder hole, into which the blonde had already descended.

“Sounds good to me,” Historia whispered from below. “Climb on down, but be careful! I can’t catch you if you fall on top of me.”

“Ha ha.” Ymir muttered. ‘As if I’d fall twice…” She buttoned her jacket, then lowered herself onto the ladder and began her descent. She managed to climb down without incident, and met Historia in the cramped space behind the door.

Slowly, Historia pushed open the door and peeked through the crack. She looked up and down the hallway twice, then sighed. “It looks like the coast is clear, let’s go.” Historia exited and Ymir followed, but not before she checked that the hallway was empty herself. Once she was sure, Ymir exited from the closet and stood behind Historia. “This way.” The duo hustled back in the direction of the room where Ymir was held earlier. 

After they passed the door, it took Ymir and Historia less than two minutes to reach the mansion’s expansive foyer. They stopped at the end of the hallway, just before entering the room. Historia peeked around the corner and spotted one guard by the door, “Duran’s by the door.” She whispered to Ymir.

“The gentleman himself…” Ymir muttered. Her description earned a confused look from Historia, and she rolled her eyes, “You weren’t there.”

Historia sighed, “Okay…” then she looked around the corner again. “We need him to leave,” She thought aloud. A glance behind Ymir gave Historia an idea. “Hide in that broom closet for a second, I’ll come get you once I’m done.” Ymir held her hands in front of her dubiously, and Historia pinched the bridge of her nose and exhaled heavily. “Just trust me, okay? You want to get out of here, right?”

Ymir tossed a glance over her shoulder at the closet and sighed.“Alright, fine. But this is the last time you put me in a closet, blondie, capische?” 

“Okay, okay. Just go!” Not wanting to continue their pointless argument, Historia stepped into the foyer. 

Ymir reached for her, hesitated, and pulled her hand back. ‘She’d better know what she’s doing,’ She thought to herself as she stepped into the closet.

“Mr. Duran!” Historia shouted once she was in the center of the foyer, “I need your help!”

Duran, who was staring out the window, flinched when Historia yelled at him. Readjusting his jacket, he composed himself. “What’s the matter, my lady?”

“It’s that girl,” At the mention of the house’s unwanted guest, Duran’s lips pressed together in a poorly contained frown, “she started yelling when I brought her food, and now she’s trying to break down the door.”

“That little…” Duran caught himself mid-sentence and gave Historia a strained smile, “it’s alright, I’ll go calm her down. Could you stay here for me? Lieutenant Carven won’t come through here for another few minutes, but I’ll need somebody to tell her where I went.”

“Okay, I can do that!” Historia smiled earnestly back at him. Duran nodded and hurried off towards Ymir’s room, “Be careful!” Once Duran’s footsteps were faint enough, Historia ran back to the closet where Ymir was hidden. She checked down the hallway first, then she knocked on the door. “Ymir, the coast is clear.”

The door opened and Ymir crept out. “We’re set?”

“Yeah,” Historia confirmed, “I distracted Duran by –”

“You can tell me once we get out,” Ymir interjected, “let’s hurry before peach fuzz gets back.” Without further ado, she hurried past Historia. The blonde remained where she was for a moment, processing Ymir’s newest nickname. She quickly returned to her senses, and followed Ymir through the foyer to the front door. 

Ymir grabbed the handle of the right door and pushed, but the heavy wood barely shuddered. “What the hell? Is it locked?’ She grabbed the handle again and slammed her shoulder into the door, but the second attempt also did nothing.

“Wait,” Historia said. Ymir stopped pushing and looked over her shoulder at Historia with frustration and a hint of panic. “We need to open them together.” She went to the second door and gripped its handle with both hands. Her and Ymir locked eyes and Historia began her countdown. “One… Two… Three!” On ‘three,’ both girls tackled the doors and they opened just enough for them to slip out. Before them, the hillside and path below the mansion were drenched and muddy beneath the pouring rain. “Let’s run!” The doors slammed like a starting gun and they began sprinting down the hill.

On the slippery ground, both Ymir and Historia struggled to keep a fast pace without tumbling down the hill. Near the foot of the hill, Historia slipped on a rock and fell forward but Ymir managed to slide her arm under Historia’s stomach and shoved her backwards. The blonde fell onto her rear with a shout, but Ymir’s jump forward caused her to lose balance and tumble down the muddy hill into the bushes at the edge of the woods. “Ymir!” Historia cried, stumbling to her feet and half running, half sliding to the bottom of the hill. On the way down, Gible’s PokéBall was jostled out of Ymir’s pocket and flashed when it hit the ground.

Ymir had covered her head when she fell, so she was able to avoid a concussion. She heard Historia shout and looked back in the direction from which she had fallen. “Gible?!” The sight of her partner Pokémon charging ahead of Historia surprised the muddied teen. She patted her pocket and groaned when she found it empty. “I’m fine! But we need to find Gible’s Ball!” Historia halted and raised her hands over her eyes like visors against the rain and searched for the red and white sphere. Gible did not stop running until it was at Ymir’s side. “Hey, baby girl.” Ymir bent forward and scratched the spot between Gible’s nostrils. Her Dragon-type partner chirped and lightly nipped Ymir’s fingers. “Hey,” Ymir tapped the side of Gible’s nose with her thumb, “you mad at me or something?” A low rumbling came from the back of Gible’s throat and it released Ymir’s fingers and barked once. 

“Ymir!” Historia’s shout was closer now, and Ymir turned to see her wading through the bushes. “I got it, here.” She handed over Gible’s PokéBall to Ymir with a muddy hand.

“Thanks,” Ymir smiled, “we’re definitely gonna need Gible, wherever we end up.”

“I’ve got a Pokémon too, you know.” Historia reminded her. She removed her Premier Ball from her pocket and was about to press the button when they heard people shouting behind them. A mournful call cut through the rain and caused Gible to growl at the sky. “It’s Traute…” Historia breathed.

“We need to go, now!” Ymir grabbed Historia’s wrist and raised Gible’s Ball with her free hand. “Return!” Still pawing at the ground, Gible was enveloped in red light and zapped back into its PokéBall. With Historia in tow, Ymir turned and began weaving away from the mansion through the trees and undergrowth. As they ran, Historia’s wrist came loose from her grip but the blonde continued to keep pace with her. “Dammit…” Ymir cursed under her breath, “How’d they get their act together so fast?!”

“I’m not sure!” Historia agreed, kicking through a small bush, “Duran said that Traute wouldn’t pass by the door for a little while, and she wouldn’t have known that I was supposed to be there waiting!” A branch swung in the wind and nearly struck Historia’s face, but she managed to duck under it at the last moment.

Ymir was silent for a second, and replayed what Historia had said in her mind. A frown pulled at her lips but she stayed calm, “What exactly did you tell that Duran guy to get him to leave?”

“You’re asking that now?!”

“Just tell me!” Ymir snapped, their pace was good, but both girls were starting to tire. The uneven ground was littered with debris and other obstacles, and it was a struggle to remain upright.

“Well, I told him that you were causing problems in your room –”

“What did you think would happen when he saw that I wasn’t there?!” Ymir interrupted, her eyes wide, “They’ll drag us both right back as soon as they catch us!” A second cry from Honchkrow echoed through the trees and Ymir ducked under a newly fallen tree. Historia found a place beside her. They remained hidden when a dark shadow passed over the treetops. The two teens breathed a sigh of relief after Honchkrow flew past them. Ymir pushed some wet hair that had fallen over her brow backwards and exhaled deeply. “Listen, Historia. I want you to understand exactly the situation that you’ve gotten yourself into by coming with me.” Ymir’s voice was heavy with a slight shakiness, “You probably can’t ever go back to the life you had once. If you keep helping me, I don’t know what options that leaves you with.” Historia remained silent as Ymir continued; “You said that you could cause problems for your father, right? I don’t think that he’d pass up the opportunity to make his life a little easier by removing you from it permanently. He might just ship you off to wherever he plans to send me. You’ve got nothing to gain by helping me,” That comment caused Historia to lower her head, “but, if you turn me over to these guys, you should be fine. No one would know that you helped me, because I wouldn’t say anything about it.” Ymir’s monologue was abruptly ended by Historia hitting her on the side of the head. The shock of the blow stunned Ymir, and she sat still where she was.

“What kind of bullshit was that?!” Historia shouted. She turned towards Ymir and brought her face close to the brunette’s, “You want to be some kind of hero all the sudden? Help my life be better by sacrificing yours? You hypocrite!” Historia slammed her fist down on Ymir’s hand and she flinched backwards. “We made a deal, remember?! I’m coming with you after all this so that I can stop letting myself be locked in that shitty old closet! Don’t back out on me now, after we’ve made it this far already!”

Ymir remained tilted slightly backwards. Her eyes were wide with surprise from Historia’s outburst. Then, she leaned forward and resumed her earlier position close to Historia. “You’re really ready for this?” The blonde teen nodded once, and her brow was pinched with determination. Ymir grinned, “I might not be able to provide a bed for you every day, or food if we’re being realistic.”

“That’s fine,” Historia assured her, “it wouldn’t be as fun if it were so easy.” 

Her response earned some laughter from Ymir, “You’re an odd one, Historia. This’ll certainly be an adventure.” She tried to move, but Historia was situated on top of her lap. Ymir turned her eyes away from Historia’s, “W-We’d better get going then, no point sitting around, right?” Ymir laughed nervously and patted Historia’s lower back. ‘Smooth, Ymir, real smooth…’

“Good point,”Historia agreed, oblivious to Ymir’s change in tone. She backed out of their spot beneath the tree and turned towards the direction from which they had come. Ymir took a deep breath to calm herself and rose behind her. Once she was upright, she could see what Historia did. Traute was standing by herself a few yards away, and Honchkrow was perched above her.

“Historia, my lady,” Traute began, her kind tone poorly concealing her frustration, “get away from that girl. You’re trying to stop her, aren’t you?”

Ymir gulped and stared at the back of Historia’s head. This was the moment that she knew was coming, where Historia would have to choose between herself and Ymir. “I’m going with her, Traute! Leave us alone!” Historia’s voice was clear and proud, and she surprised both Lieutenant Carven and Ymir.

For Traute, Historia’s decision was not well received. “No, you aren’t. Your father needs you here.” She was no longer bothering to play nice for Historia; her voice had become icy. “Step away from her now, Historia, and I won’t mention this rebellious behavior to your father.”

“I won’t do it!” Historia shouted. She ripped her Premier Ball from her pocket and threw it forward, “Go, Eevee!” A white light and shining blue stars accompanied the Ball’s opening, and it dissipated to reveal a small, silver Pokémon with pointed ears. The Premier Ball bounced back and Historia caught it in both hands. 

Eevee’s ears twitched and it looked behind it at Historia and then at Traute and her Honchkrow. All four of its legs bent and it hissed at the lieutenant’s Dark-type partner. Honchkrow shifted on its branch and cawed loudly in response.

Traute sighed and looked around in search of her subordinates. When she could see none nearby she ran her fingers through her hair and gave Historia and Ymir a menacing look. “So be it.”

“Gible, let’s go!” Ymir threw her PokéBall forward and Gible reappeared. Her ball fell back as well, and Ymir caught it in her right hand. “Don’t use an attacking move,” She whispered to Historia, “not yet.”

Traute followed Ymir’s expectations, “Honchkrow, Sucker Punch that Eevee!” With a low cry, Honchkrow arose from its perch and rushed forward. Its weight shifted from side to side as it awaited Eevee’s incoming attack.

“Eevee, use Tail Whip!” Historia’s Normal-type partner turned and lashed its bushy tail in Honchkrow’s face. The larger Pokémon halted and backtracked in mid-air, as its attack was useless with nothing to counter.

Ymir grinned when she saw that Honchkrow’s guard was lowered. “Take Down, Gible!” Her Pokémon rushed forward and charged into Honchkrow’s side. Honchkrow tilted its beak upwards and cried out, but the cry was ended once it was sent into the dirt by Gible’s attack. Eevee tilted its head at Gible and meowed quietly, which Gible answered with a sharp bark and some head bobbing. Honchkrow righted itself and spread its wings menacingly. 

During the first exchange of the battle, Traute had closed some of the distance between herself and her two opponents. Her hair was loosening from its tight ponytail, and a few long strands were stuck onto her rain-soaked face. “Honchkrow!” Her voice was completely angry now, and Historia stepped back one pace. Traute jabbed her finger at Ymir, “Use Wing Attack on that girl!” Ymir and Historia’s eyes widened and they looked at Traute’s Pokémon, whose body language did not indicate that it would hesitate to follow its latest command. “Don’t let anything get in your way!” 

Honchkrow shrieked wildly, and dove at its four targets. Gible and Eevee both jumped at Honchkrow, but it charged through their defense. Historia shoved herself in front of Ymir, but her head was forced down by the brunette, who leaned protectively over her. Honchkrow raised its wing high, its beady eyes locked onto Ymir’s head, when a gray blur rushed from the direction of the estate and struck the back of Honchkrow’s head. “What?!” Ymir and Traute shouted simultaneously. 

The large Dark-type flew up and backwards, and its assailant was carried forwards by its momentum. It landed clumsily on the log that had covered Ymir and Historia and flapped its wings as hard as it could while shrieking at its much larger opponent.

Ymir could not help but laugh at her savior. “Starly, you glorious little shit!” 

Historia gaped at the tiny Pokémon, then at Ymir. “Is that the Starly that you were captured with?”

“Hell yeah,” Ymir beamed. It was the smaller of the twin Starly that she had been captured with, but its twin was nowhere in sight. “There should be one more though…” She quirked a brow when she noticed a yellow band around Starly’s leg, “and what’s that thing on its leg?” Another shriek from Honchkrow snapped both girls attention back to their opponent, who was barely being held back by Eevee and Gible.

“Honchkrow, Snarl!” At Traute’s command, Honchkrow flung its wings wide and began raising an uproar which was accompanied by black waves of energy from its beak. Those waves struck Eevee, Starly, and Gible, and caused both Eevee and Starly to collapse where they stood. Both Pokémon were exhausted from their efforts, and Gible was barely withstanding Honchkrow’s onslaught. Starly was knocked off the log by the attack, but Ymir stepped sideways and caught the baby Flying-type in her arms.

“Hang in there, Gible! Use Dragon Rage!” Gible stepped back two paces and lowered its head. Light began gathering in its mouth and it looked back up when Honchkrow’s Snarl ceased.

“Sucker Punch,” Traute said coldly, disregarding the rules of a trainer battle by giving Honchkrow two orders in a single turn. Nevertheless, Honchkrow followed command and knocked Gible to the side. Its Dragon Rage shot into the air and struck the top of a nearby tree, breaking it off its trunk. 

“Gible!” Ymir yelled. She moved towards her Pokémon, but Honchkrow landed between her and her partner.

“It’s over,” Traute declared, “you can either come quietly or –” Her order stopped when light began emanating from Gible again. For a moment, Traute thought that Gible was preparing another Dragon Rage, but that idea was dispelled when she realized that Gible’s whole body was glowing. Gible’s form was lost in the light, which expanded further around where it had laid. The bright orb around Gible suddenly burst, and a bipedal Pokémon with the same coloration as Gible raised its single-clawed arms and hissed at Honchkrow. “Dammit, Gible evolved into Gabite…” Traute muttered.

Ymir overheard the name that Traute had used for Gible’s evolved form and smiled at her partner from behind Honchkrow. “Gabite! Rush at Honchkrow!” With a snarl, Gabite ran towards its opponents with its arms tucked close to its chest. Honchkrow beat its wings twice and rose away from the attack. With its longer tail, Gabite was able to stop and turn one-hundred-and-eighty degrees in one fluid motion so that it stood between Ymir and Honchkrow. 

“It seems faster now…” Historia thought aloud, “it can probably outmaneuver Honchkrow in this forest.”

“Honchkrow! Forget Gabite, grab that Eevee!” Honchkrow rose up and away from Gabite.

“Stay away from my Eevee!” Historia shouted, running to where Eevee lay unconscious.  
Ymir took a quick glance at Gabite’s new claws and formed a counter to Honchkrow’s incoming attack. “Gabite, grab Honchkrow and use Dragon Rage on its wings!” Gabite was faster, and leapt onto Honchkrow as the Dark-type was mid-dive, but Ymir rushed forward too and protected Historia and Eevee by leaning over them. Gabite’s charging attack knocked Honchkrow off its course, but it was just strong enough to remain airborne. The two Pokémon wrestled through the undergrowth, with only a few brief instances of Honchkrow lifting Gabite more than two feet from the ground. As they struggled, Gabite’s mouth glowed. Honchkrow recognized the danger and fought to untangle itself from its adversary, but Gabite hung onto Honchkrow’s wings with the hooked claws at the end of each of its arms. The pair crashed with Gabite on top. The newly evolved Dragon-type took advantage of its position and unleashed a volley of Dragon Rages at Honchkrow’s stomach and wings.

Traute’s hands went to the sides of her head as Gabite finished its barrage. Once Honchkrow was unmoving, Gabite turned its face to her and snarled toothily. “Return,” Traute breathed, recalling her fallen Honchkrow to its Ultra Ball.

“Gabite!” Ymir called, “Come back!” Ymir’s partner glanced over its shoulder at her, looked back and growled at Traute again, then ran to Ymir and Historia. Smiling, Ymir rubbed Gabite’s head, “Nice job, baby girl.” A content rumbling reverberated in Gabite’s throat, and was followed by a bark. Ymir chuckled and adjusted her hold on Starly so that her right hand was free to take out Gabite’s Ball. “Get some rest,” She said, withdrawing Gabite. Nearby, Historia gave the top of Eevee’s head a slow stroke before she returned it to its Ball as well. With all their Pokémon accounted for, the two girls looked at Traute, who remained where she was and gazed silently back at them. Without another word, Historia and Ymir, who still carried Starly in her arms, turned and fled deeper into the forest.

Meanwhile, in another forest on the opposite side of Jubilife City, a man drove his muddy blue pickup truck down a dirt path from the peak of a small mountain. He was whistling contently, as his most recent catch had been completed without an issue. A sudden buzzing from his phone, which he had situated in the empty passenger’s seat. The man stopped the car and picked up the phone. Once he saw the caller, he clicked answer and raised the device to his ear. “What’s the situation, Traute?”

“Captain Ackerman, Historia Reiss has fled the estate.”

Kenny’s grip on the phone tightened, “Whaddya mean she left?! None of you tried to stop her?”

“We did, sir,” Traute replied, “but she had help. The other girl that we took in earlier battled with her. Her Gible evolved partway through the battle and overwhelmed my Honchkrow.”  
“Oh really?” Kenny grinned, rubbing his beard, “Now that’s interesting.”

“Sir?”

“I’ve only known a few people whose Pokémon have evolved in response to a hard battle instead of after the battle’s done.” Kenny tapped the top of his wheel, “That happened to Uri a long time ago, and to Rod’s other girl Freida.” For a moment, Kenny was silent as he thought of what his subordinate should do next. “It’s alright to let them go, Traute; Historia won’t cause trouble.”

“But what about that other girl? If Historia tells her about her origins –”

“I’ll deal with that if it happens,” Kenny ordered, “they’re headed towards Jubilife, yeah?”  
“Yes, sir.” Traute confirmed. “They went in that direction.”

“Good, I’m heading there myself actually. Got a fresh catch for a buyer in that city, but it’s a shame, really.” Kenny sighed, leaning back in his seat, “I’d rather keep this one for myself.”

“What was the request for this one?” Traute’s question was punctuated by the sound of metal tearing behind Kenny. The Captain jolted upright in his seat and craned his gaze over the top of his seat. Through the window between the headrests of the back seats, he caught sight of a green blur leaping from the shredded top of its cage out of sight. A crash in the bushes signalled that it had fled into the forest. “Captain? What was that sound?”

“That’d be the merchandise.” Kenny grumbled, “Don’t go after those girls!” He snapped, hanging up the phone and throwing open the car door. As fast as he could, Kenny ran around the front of his pickup to the side of the road where his quarry had jumped towards. Once he was at the treeline, he realized that the bushes hid a steep downwards slope cloaked by thick bushes and awkwardly growing trees. “Shit, shit, shit! God dammit!” Kenny raged, kicking a sapling so hard that its roots were ripped from the wet earth.

Gritting his teeth, the Captain recollected himself and scanned the area. A sign not too far down the road caught his eye, so he ran to it. It sported an arrow which pointed at a side road that led to a steeper path down the mountain.

**”To Twinleaf Town”**


	3. Eren v. Larvitar

As Traute was finishing her conversation with Kenny, two of her subordinates arrived through the bushes behind her but they were silent when they saw that their lieutenant was in the midst of a phone call. “Yes, sir. Understood.” She said into her phone. Her furrowed brows and tight grip on Honchkrow’s Ultra Ball contradicted her even tone. She put her phone into her pocket and inhaled heavily. Her body language confused the man and woman behind her, and they looked at each other nervously. The woman jerked her head at Traute as a way to tell her companion to ask for orders. However, the man held up his hands and shook his head. Still silent, the woman shoved his shoulder so that he took a step back and snapped a twig behind him. Traute turned towards them after hearing the noise, and she saw the man regaining his balance while the woman stood at attention.

“Lieutenant Traute,” The woman said, not sparing a glance for her embarrassed partner, “we heard a battle nearby, was it those two?”

“Yes.” Traute confirmed. Her female subordinate was about to ask where they had gone, so Traute interrupted her, “We have new orders from the Captain. We are to allow Historia to leave the estate. Inform and gather the others, we’ll meet at the Training Hall.”

Both of Traute’s subordinates stood at attention, “Understood, ma’am!” Without another word, they hurried back in the direction from which they came. Traute, alone again, looked over her shoulder to the bushes into which Ymir and Historia had fled.

‘This isn’t over, Ymir.’ She promised in her head before she turned and went to rejoin her comrades.

At the same time, Ymir and Historia burst out of the bushes and fell feet-first into the creek beside the path through the forest. The creek had swollen in the rain, and was now just below Ymir’s knees. Ymir caught herself as she stumbled forwards, but the water level was too high and Historia fell into the creek with a splash. “Historia!” Ymir shouted. Shifting Starly so that it was tucked under her left arm, Ymir grabbed Historia around her torso with her right arm and half carried, half dragged her to the other side of the creek. Once they were on solid ground again, Ymir set Starly down and grabbed both of Historia’s shoulders, “Are you alright?!”

Historia coughed two more times, then she put her hands over Ymir’s left hand, “I’m fine, I just slipped, that’s all.”

“That’s a relief,” Ymir sighed. She leaned back and pushed some of her stray bangs out of her face. Her eyes scanned the treeline for any signs of their pursuers, and Historia gazed at Ymir silently. The sound of rain hitting the trees and the rushing creek were all that could be heard in the forest, until Historia began laughing. The out-of-place sound surprised Ymir, as did her realization that it was coming from her companion. “Are you seriously laughing right now? We’re still in danger, here!” She took notice of the Starly, which she had left on the muddy ground, and quickly picked up the tired bird Pokémon.

“I–I’m sorry,” Historia replied through her laughter, “you just got so serious when I fell!” Her laughs began to subside, and Ymir’s face turned red at the observation. “You really went all out, carrying me and Starly through that stream. You’re actually a kind person, aren’t you, Ymir?”

Historia’s question surprised Ymir, and she stood still with Starly in her arms as Historia got to her feet. After a moment, she regained her composure and huffed, “Huh?! I was just making sure that my new ‘partner’ didn’t get washed away.”

“What do you mean,” Historia raised her hands and made air quotes with her index and middle fingers, “‘partner?’ We just did a battle together, and we won!”

“Yeah, but all of our Pokémon are pretty much out of commission! I wouldn’t really call it winning when we got lucky with Gible’s random evolution and this little spitfire,” Ymir nodded her head down at Starly, who was still unconscious in her arms. Once she had said that, Ymir began walking in the opposite direction that Traute had led her earlier. Historia waited until Ymir was beside her and then fell into pace with her.

“We still beat Traute together, though…” Historia muttered. A realization hit her, “You lost against Traute when you fought her alone before, too! You probably would have lost again if I wasn’t there, and that would have happened before Starly could have flown in and saved you.”

“Yeah, thanks for reminding me…” Ymir grumbled. Her quick loss against Traute when they had first met was still fresh in her memory. Historia’s arguments were all true, and Ymir was too exhausted to bother with a snappy retort. “Alright, fine, you saved my ass back there, happy?”

“No,” Historia said flatly. Her matter-of-fact tone struck Ymir’s nerves, and she reconsidered her stance on snappy retorts until Historia looked up at her and flashed her a smile, “We kicked ass back there!” Ymir nearly tripped on a stray root when Historia finished her reply, which prompted the blonde to step closer and make sure that Starly stayed in Ymir’s arms. Ymir found her footing and chuckled quietly as Historia stroked the feathers on the back of Starly’s head. “What’re you laughing about, isn’t this a bad time for that?” Historia asked, firing back at Ymir for her earlier remarks.

“You’re getting good at comebacks, His,” Ymir explained, adjusting her hold on Starly, “and I think that’s the first time I ever heard you even come close to swearing.”

“Ass isn’t a bad word,” Historia reasoned, patting Starly twice on the head. The small bird stirred and chirped quietly at the touch before nestling its face back into the crook of Ymir’s left arm. Historia smiled at the tired Pokémon’s actions, then she looked up at Ymir with a more serious expression. “Where are we going anyways, Ymir? It’s like you said, our Pokémon are all too weak to fight, and we don’t know if Traute will keep coming after us in this forest.”

“Yeah…” Ymir murmured, “what we need is a Pokémon Center. We can get everybody fixed up there.” She turned and pointed back up the path, “Jubilife City is back that way, but I don’t really want to risk another encounter with Carven Hood and her murder men.” Ymir’s strange nicknaming habit drew a pained sigh from Historia, but Ymir ignored her reaction and pointed in the direction that they had been going, “Sandgem Town is that way, and it’s a lot smaller, so we’re less likely to run into trouble over there.”

“Sandgem Town it is, then,” Historia confirmed. Ymir nodded and the duo continued down the forest path. The rain had lightened while they were deciding where to go, and was now barely a drizzle. After a few minutes of walking, Historia turned her head and nodded at Starly, “Won’t they deny treatment for Starly at the Center, though? I read that the nurses don’t treat wild Pokémon in the main building as a way to avoid diseases, like Pokérus.”

“Well, what should we do then?” Ymir asked, jostling Starly lightly in her arms, “I’m not the type to abandon a Pokémon after it saved my skin, but I don’t have any PokéBalls on me.”

“I’ve got a few spare ones.” Historia revealed, kneeling down on the path and opening her still-soaked bag, “I had them in my room.” She dug through her belongings and drew out a standard PokéBall, “Better than extra clothes, don’t you think?”

“You’re a godsend, His,” Ymir breathed, ignoring the snide comment about what she had yelled at Historia while they were running through the hallways of the Reiss mansion. She set Starly on the ground and retrieved the Ball from Historia’s hand. “Good thing it already likes me,” Ymir thought aloud. She then tapped the central button and tossed the device into the air. It fell onto Starly and bounced off before opening and shooting a beam of red light at the tired Pokémon.

Starly vanished into the PokéBall, and it fell to the ground. The button on the front glowed and the ball shook three times. It made an audible click, and the light on the front faded. “Gotcha,” Ymir smiled, picking up the ball. She tossed Starly’s Ball in the air, caught it, then placed it in the same pocket of her jacket where Gabite’s Ball already was. 

Ymir’s sudden happiness surprised Historia. “You seem glad to have Starly with you, Ymir, do you like catching new Pokémon?”

“It’s not so much that I like catching them,” Ymir explained, “I could catch any Pokémon if I had the time and items. I just like when I have a real connection with it,” She patted the pocket where she had put the two Balls, “I’ve only had Gabite since I’ve left home, but I’ve never felt the urge to get any more. It’s nice to find a new Pokémon that I really want to have around.”

The response was deeper than Historia expected, and brought a smile to her face. “I’m glad that you’ve got Starly and Gabite, Ymir, I can already tell that you’re really close to the both of them.”

Ymir noticed that she may have rambled a bit too much and rubbed the back of her head sheepishly, “Y–Yeah, well, don’t forget that you’ve got Eevee,” Ymir pointed out, “you two don’t have much battling experience, right? We’ll need to work on that so you can get closer, too.”

Historia nodded, “That’s true, I don’t want to fall far behind you.” She gestured to the road ahead, “We should keep going, the rain might pick up again.”

“Yeah,” Ymir agreed, “let’s get out of here.” As the pair continued down the road, the moon appeared high and bright in the sky through an opening in the cloud cover.

On the other side of Sandgem Town and Route 201, a boy and a girl who were about as old as Ymir and Historia sat in the living room of the boy’s house. The boy was busily going through a bag he had set on a coffee table while the girl watched him. “Do you two have everything for tomorrow?” The boy’s mother, a brown-haired woman named Carla Yeager, called from the kitchen, “Mikasa, Eren hasn’t packed more than he can carry, has he?”

“I can carry it just fine, mom!” Eren yelled, “Look!” Without hesitating, he rose from his seat and lifted his backpack by the hook at the top. Mikasa stood next to him, with her hands slightly forwards in case he stumbled from the weight. Eren huffed and quickly turned and fit his left arm through the loop, then his right arm through the other side. The weight was more than he expected, so he bent his knees and adjusted the bag so that it fit more comfortably on his back.

Mikasa could clearly see how strained Eren was from the tightness of his forehead. “You shouldn’t pack more than we need,” She reminded him, “we can make money once we pass Sandgem Town.”

“But we have all of this stuff lying around, so we shouldn’t waste money when we don’t need to!” Eren retorted, his face becoming red from the weight on his back, “My dad said that we could help ourselves to his supply of Potions and Balls, so I did!”

“I don’t think he meant that you could take everything.”

“Then what is ‘help yourselves’ supposed to mean?!” Eren stood up straighter when he asked his question, and the main pocket of the bag burst open and its contents spilled onto the floor. Small, purple bottles of Potions and empty, compacted PokéBalls fell and rolled across the living room. Carla walked out of the kitchen and was wiping her hands with a cloth when Eren’s bag exploded. She stood in the passageway as Eren turned to her with a sheepish smile on his face, “Mom? Do we have any bigger bags?”

“That’s the biggest one,” Carla stated, “you made sure of that when you were digging through the attic this morning.” She placed her cloth onto the counter behind her and gestured at the items now strewn across the living room. “Well?”

Eren sighed and put down his backpack, “Come on, Mikasa,” he muttered to her as he knelt down and began gathering his scattered items.

Mikasa moved to help Eren, but a fake cough from Carla caught both of their attention. “Eren,” She began, “weren’t you the one who was telling Mikasa earlier not to help you carry all of these things because ‘not every battle is going to be a double battle?’” The callout surprised Eren, and he began stammering as he thought of a retort, but it made Mikasa smile as she picked up a Potion and put it on the coffee table. Carla walked from the kitchen to the living room and caught Mikasa’s wrists before she could clean any more items off of the floor. “Mikasa, shouldn’t you stay with your parents tonight? I’m sure that they’ll want to see you off before you leave tomorrow.”

Mikasa shook her head, “I asked, and they said that I could stay here if I wanted.” She looked over her shoulder at Eren, who was sweeping as many items as he could into his arms.

Carla noticed her wandering gaze and assured her; “I wouldn’t let him leave without you,” in a hushed tone. Mikasa blushed slightly and turned her focus back to Carla, who smiled kindly at her.

Mikasa leaned forward and whispered, “You don’t think he would do that, do you?” 

The nervousness that Carla saw in Mikasa’s eyes surprised her and she cupped the teen girl’s face in her hands, “Of course not, sweetheart.” Mikasa seemed unconvinced, and Carla looked to the side, “Well, not in the way that you think. You know how he can forget what’s around him when he gets excited.” 

A clattering noise surprised both of them from their conversation. “Dammit!” Eren shouted from the other side of the couch. He had hit his head while rising from the floor and dropped the armful of items that he had gathered.

Carla nudged Mikasa’s shoulder and brought her attention back to her, “See what I mean?” Mikasa smiled and Carla grinned back at her before tilting her head towards the door, “Go on and be with your parents, I’ll make sure that he waits for you.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Yeager,” Mikasa said, rising to her feet. Carla stood in front of her, and sighed when she brushed an invisible piece of dust from the girl’s shoulder. “Is something wrong?” Mikasa asked, half hoping for an excuse to stay.

“You kids have grown so fast,” She sighed, looking over at Eren, who was gritting his teeth as he rose with his armful of items for a second time, “I can’t believe that Professor Zoe is giving you both a Pokémon tomorrow so that you can start your gym challenge. And Armin’s one of the gym leaders that you’ll meet along the way!”

“I can’t wait to see him!” Eren interrupted. He shoved the items into the bag and turned to his mother and Mikasa, “he’ll be the second gym leader for us, after Reiner Braun in Oreburgh City.”

Carla smiled at her son’s enthusiasm, and then turned back to Mikasa and rested her hand on her shoulder, “Go on home now, we’ll be waiting for you here in the morning.”

Mikasa nodded, “Thank you again,” she said before turning towards the door.

“See you tomorrow, Mikasa! Don’t be late!” Eren warned her.

Carla reached forward and lightly tugged on Eren’s ear, “She won’t be late because there’s no set time for you to leave! The Professor told me that you could come at any time, and you need to wait for your father to come home and drive you across Route 201 anyhow.”

“I know, I know,” Eren muttered, rubbing his ear. He looked at Mikasa again and waved, although less heartily this time, “See you in the morning.”

“I won’t be late,” She promised him. Mikasa nodded at Carla again before turning to the door. When her hand touched the knob, something knocked against the wood from outside. Mikasa took a step back and all three of the people in the room listened as the door was hit again. 

“Let me see,” Eren said, going to the window beside the door. Carla followed him and they craned their heads to try and see the front door from the window. Although the lights from the house illuminated the path to the door, there was nobody standing in front of it. “Huh? There’s nothing there…” 

As if in response, there was another knock on the door, but it was quieter than the previous ones. Eren left the window and hurried to the door, stepping in front of Mikasa. His hand went to the knob and before Mikasa or Carla could stop him, Eren had pulled open the door. 

A small, green Pokémon fell forward onto its face through the open doorway. Mikasa and Eren stepped away from it, and Carla covered her mouth when she saw the Pokémon’s poor condition. Eren knelt down beside the Pokémon cautiously, so that it would not get scared and run away. It growled quietly, but it allowed Eren to inspect its back. Once Eren saw the flower-like plume around its stubby tail and the diamonds near its arms, he recognized the Pokémon from a book about the best Pokémon for gym battling. “It’s a Larvitar, but what’s it doing here?” 

Slowly, Eren moved his hand towards Larvitar’s head. Carla clasped her hand tighter over her mouth, but she stopped herself from yelling at Eren to stop in case Larvitar got startled and attacked. Mikasa clenched and unclenched her fists nervously, watching as Eren’s hand got closer and closer to Larvitar’s mouth. The scared Pokémon’s eyes flicked from Eren’s to his hand, and it whimpered quietly. “It’s alright, I’m not going to hurt you,” Eren soothed. Carla was surprised by his composure, and felt a small swell of pride towards her son despite her concern. 

At last, Eren was able to rest his hand on Larvitar’s forehead, below the spike on top of its skull. The dirty green skin was warm to the touch, and slightly rough. Larvitar’s breathing accelerated at the first contact, and its eyes remained locked on Eren’s, but it calmed when Eren made no aggressive movements. With a quiet chirp, Larvitar closed its eyes and pressed its forehead against Eren’s hand. 

“Look at that…” Carla murmured. Mikasa was still tense behind Eren, but she felt calmer once she saw that Larvitar had accepted Eren’s hand. Tentatively, Eren scooted closer to Larvitar.

“I’m going to pick you up now, is that okay?” Larvitar opened its eyes and blinked at Eren, “Alright, here goes.” Eren moved his free hand towards Larvitar’s belly. The motion startled the Pokémon and it let out a shaky cry. “It’s alright, it’s alright,” Eren repeated, turning his hand upside-down so that Larvitar could see his empty palm. He tenderly slid his hand under Larvitar’s belly, and moved his other hand from the Pokémon’s forehead downwards.   
Eren’s left hand held Larvitar around the torso, and his right hand had moved from its forehead under its right armpit so that it rested on its chest. Carefully, Eren began to stand. He let out a quiet huff when he felt Larvitar’s full weight in his hands, “You’re a big guy, aren’t you?” He asked, moving towards the couch. Larvitar chirped and rubbed its horn against Eren’s forearm. Mikasa walked behind Eren and kept a close eye on Larvitar. Carla walked away from the window and shut the door quietly.

Once Eren arrived at the couch, he carefully sat down on the cushioned seat with Larvitar in his arms. Mikasa leaned against the side of the couch and watched Larvitar’s movement. After a few moments, Mikasa decided that Larvitar was not so dangerous, and walked to Eren’s backpack. “Here, use this,” She told Eren, with a Potion in her hand.

“Thanks,” Eren said. He leaned back so Larvitar’s weight was more against his stomach, then wiggled his left hand out from underneath its stomach. Larvitar’s eyes were open again, and it looked silently from the Potion to Mikasa. “This’ll fix you up,” Eren explained, “it’s called a ‘Potion.’” He shook the bottle, then pressed down on the button on the back of the cap. A spray of fluid was expelled onto Larvitar’s back, and the Pokémon yelped at the unexpected sensation. “Woah, woah! It’s okay!” Larvitar ignored Eren’s attempt at reassurance. Instead, it cried loudly and bit the base of Eren’s right thumb, “Ow!”

“Eren!” Mikasa cried, rushing forward to grab Larvitar. Suddenly, the Pokémon convulsed and whimpered before collapsing back into Eren’s lap. “What…?”

Carla was clutching her chest by the door. The sudden commotion had caught her completely by surprise. She breathed deeply before stepping forward and looking over Eren’s shoulder at Larvitar, which had begun hyperventilating again. “It’s poisoned…” She realized, “I have an idea.” Without delay, Carla hurried back to the kitchen. Eren and Mikasa watched as she rifled through various shelves. “Here it is!” She exclaimed. She knelt on the opposite side of the coffee table from Eren, and showed him the small bottle in her left hand. In her right hand, Carla held a slice of bread. “This sweetener is made from a berry that normally cures poison, so if you feed it this it should fix the status.”

Eren set aside the empty Potion bottle and took the bread in his left hand, “Thanks, mom.”  
Carla smiled and unscrewed the cap from the bottle of Pecha Berry powder, “What a crazy coincidence,” She said, “you two are supposed to receive your first Pokémon tomorrow, and this one comes right to our door!”

Eren watched as his mother poured the powder onto the bread, “Should I catch this guy, then?” Larvitar shifted in Eren’s arms when he spoke, which prompted Eren to scratch its chest with his right hand.

“It’s your decision,” She reminded him, “but if I were you I’d go for it. Larvitar is one of those rare kinds of Pokémon, right? I’m sure that Professor Zoe would love if you showed her that you’re able to catch your own Pokémon. I mean, just look at that!” Carla gestured at Larvitar, which was nestled in Eren’s lap, with the bottle still in her hand, “You’re doing a fantastic job taking care of Larvitar already.”

“You think so?” Eren asked, looking down at Larvitar and giving its chest another scratch. Carla nodded and held the bread out to to him. He accepted it and held it near Larvitar’s nose. The tired Pokémon sniffed the food and let out a small huff. 

“C’mon, it’s good!” Eren bounced Larvitar on his thigh. Larvitar chirped and snapped at the bread. It broke a small piece off and swallowed it. Suddenly, the Pokémon’s eyes shot open and it lunged forward at the bread. “Woah!” Eren shouted, putting his hands in the air. Excitedly, Larvitar jumped on the couch and reached towards the bread with its stubby arms. “You want this?” He taunted, waving the bread in his hand.

“Eren, don’t tease it,” Mikasa cautioned, “just give it the medicine.” Eren ignored her warning and continued lowering and raising the bread in front of Larvitar’s nose. The Rock-type Pokémon chirped as it continued its attempts to snatch the food. After a minute without success, Larvitar huffed and began sniffing the air. 

“Huh? What’s wrong?” As he asked the question, Eren lowered his hand and Larvitar seized the moment and snatched the bread in its jaws. With a surprised shout, Eren drew his hand back. Carla laughed as Larvitar leaned against the back of the couch and swiped its tongue over its mouth to obtain all of the Pecha powder. 

“I guess he likes sweets,” She thought aloud, screwing the cap back onto the bottle of powder. Larvitar shook its head and looked at Eren, then chirped and waddled across the upholstery and flopped back onto Eren’s lap, where it promptly fell asleep. Carla laughed again, and Mikasa cracked a smile behind the couch. “And you, too!” 

Eren chuckled and began scratching Larvitar’s back, “I do like this little guy,” he admitted. He continued to pet the sleeping Pokémon as he looked at his open backpack, where a PokéBall sat invitingly atop the mess of items that he had stuffed inside of it earlier. Carefully, Eren stretched forward and plucked the Ball from his bag. Larvitar stirred in his lap but it remained quiet. “Here goes,” Eren breathed. He tapped the PokéBall’s button quickly with his thumb and it expanded from its small storage size to its normal and usable size. Eren tapped on the button again, then dropped the device onto Larvitar’s head. Larvitar chirped at the impact, but was still as the PokéBall opened and enveloped the sleeping Pokémon in a red light.

Larvitar’s form merged with the light and was sucked into the Ball, which fell onto the couch and shook three times before an audible click was released. Eren retrieved the PokéBall from the couch and looked at it with an excited gleam in his eyes. He could see a small pixelated image of a Larvitar through the red cap of the Ball. “My first Pokémon…”

Carla beamed proudly at her son, and Mikasa leaned over the couch and looked from the couch to Eren’s face. When she saw his happiness, she smiled as well. For a moment, they sat contentedly in the living room. Carla turned away when she noticed a tall figure moving towards the door. “Grisha…?” 

At the mention of his father, Eren whipped his head around and faced the door, but he accidentally bumped his forehead into Mikasa’s in the process. Both of them jerked back and hissed through their teeth with their hands clasped over their foreheads. Carla shook her head and went to the door. She peeked through the window on her way, and quirked a brow when she saw that the man standing at her door was not her husband, but a man in a long, black jacket, dark pants, and what seemed to be a cowboy hat. She stole a glance at Eren and Mikasa, the latter of whom was fussing over Eren’s forehead, to which he responded with snappy assurances that he was completely fine, then proceeded to the door.

“Hello?” She greeted the stranger when she opened the door, “Can I help you?”

“Sorry to trouble you so late, ma’am,” The man began, taking his hat off and pressing it against his chest, “but you wouldn’t have happened to see a Larvitar running around, wouldja?”

“Who is it, mom?” Eren asked, rushing to the door and standing behind his mother. When he saw the man just beyond the door, he looked him up and down curiously, “Who’re you?” Mikasa, in turn, stood behind Eren and eyed the man with suspicion.

“The name’s Kenny,” He introduced himself, “just Kenny.” Kenny caught sight of the PokéBall in Eren’s hand and clicked his tongue. With a sigh, he smoothed back his hair and placed his hat back on his head. “Apologies, ma’am, I must be at the wrong house.” With that, Kenny turned and walked away from the door towards his idling pickup truck.

Mikasa, Carla, and Eren watched him walk away in silence. “Be careful driving out there!” Carla shouted after him. Kenny’s only response was a wave which he gave without turning back around. 

Before he got back to his vehicle, Carla closed the door and went to the window. “What’s his problem?” Eren muttered to no one in particular.

“I’m not sure…” Carla replied. She watched from the window as Kenny’s car started and pulled away, “But it looks like he’s gone now.”

“What did he want with Larvitar?” Mikasa asked, “He couldn’t have been its trainer, or Eren’s PokéBall wouldn’t have worked.”

Carla’s mind flashed back to the recent news reports about the recent outbreak of Pokémon poachers in some of Sinnoh’s more remote areas. She took a deep breath and drew the blinds over the windows. “Mikasa, it’s probably best if you stay here for the night.” Before she or Eren could ask why, Carla continued; “I don’t want you to be walking at night when he’s in the area. I’ll call your parents; you kids go get to bed. After all,” She turned from the window and smiled reassuringly at the two teens standing by the door, “tomorrow’s your big day!”

Mikasa and Eren nodded in understanding at Carla. “Thank you, Mrs. Yeager.” Mikasa said.

Carla shook her head, “It was probably going to happen anyway. Now go on,” She said, her voice becoming more commanding, “off to bed!”

“Yeah, let’s go, Mikasa,” Eren had already walked halfway to the stairs when he spoke. He gave his mother a wave as Mikasa walked towards him, “Goodnight, mom!”

“Goodnight,” Carla replied kindly. Suddenly, her face became comically serious and she made a shooing motion at her son with her right hand, “Go to bed!” Eren rolled his eyes, but he could not stop the smile that her gesture brought to his face. Without further ado, he rushed to the stairs with Larvitar’s PokéBall firmly in his hand. Mikasa followed him more calmly, and spared a glance back at Carla, who repeated her shooing motion but with a gentle smile on her face this time. Mikasa returned the smile, and waved at the brunette woman before she followed Eren up the stairs.

Carla watched them ascend the stairwell, then walked over to the kitchen and picked up the landline phone. She dialed the number for the cell phone of Mikasa’s mother, and pressed ‘Call.’ The phone rang twice before it was picked up midway through the third ring, “I’m guessing that she’s staying with you tonight?” A tired but cheerful voice asked.

Carla chuckled, relieved by her friend’s familiar voice, “Sorry, Aina. I tried to get her to go home, but she insisted on spending the night.”

“I’m not surprised,” Aina sighed, “just make sure that she comes here before they leave tomorrow, okay? Her and Eren.”

“Of course,” Carla assured her, “she wouldn’t leave without seeing her parents first!” 

“I should hope so!” Aina joked. She and Carla shared a laugh, although Carla’s laughter trailed off faster. “Something wrong?”

“No, nothing.” Carla lied, blood rushing to her ears. Mikasa’s mother was silent on the other end of the line, waiting for the truth. After a few moments of silence, Carla gave in with a sigh. “Do you know a man named Kenny? Tall, dark hair, bit of a beard?”

“No, I can’t say that I do. Why?”

“He showed up at my door asking about a Pokémon,” Carla explained. Without warning, a yawn escaped from her mouth.

“You wanna talk about it tomorrow? You seem exhausted.”

“Sure,” Carla murmured, “thanks, Aina.”

“No problem, get some rest now. I’m sure that Eren’ll wake you up at the crack of dawn tomorrow.”

Carla groaned and rubbed the bridge of her nose, “I’m sure he will… Goodnight.” Aina hung up the phone, and Carla waited for a moment before returning the landline to its charging station. She took another look at the covered window before shaking her head and walking to the stairs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the information behind the name that I chose for Mikasa's mom! (From behindthename.com)
> 
> AINA (愛菜) f Japanese  
> From Japanese 愛 (ai) meaning "love, affection" and 菜 (na) meaning "vegetables, greens"


End file.
